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Daniel Cleary has decided to end his playing career.

Cleary was technically a player with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins for the 2016-17, but rather than play in contests he instead served as an unofficial coach. In that role he helped the team with the Calder Cup while also guiding the team's prospects, like Tyler Bertuzzi. "He’s been here for two years and been a great mentor for a lot of guys," Bertuzzi said. "We appreciate him being here and what he does for us." It wouldn't be surprising to see Cleary hired as a coach this summer. As for his playing career, it spanned 938 regular season games and an additional 121 playoff contests, including Detroit's Stanley Cup championship in 2008. Jun 15 - 4:28 AM

Eleven seasons after making his debut with the Detroit Red Wings as an undrafted forward, Dan Cleary has helped mold the Red Wings prospects.

Cleary is listed on the Grand Rapids Griffins roster but hasn't played in a game in over a year. He practices with the team and is considering as somewhat of a player-coach hybrid. He has been very instrumental in the Griffins Calder Cup run and has helped players such as Evgeny Svechnikov, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dominic Turgeon grow their game. "I’ve really enjoyed this season. Just seeing the development with the guys and being able to help" said Cleary. "this has been really fulfilling for me. I’m happy to be here, happy to be around the guys." After a very successful career with the Red Wings, Cleary appears to have a future in coaching. Jun 10 - 9:49 AM

Daniel Cleary has not played in one game for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.

Raise your hand if you thought he was retired. Okay, you can put it down now. While the 38-year-old has not played, he has been a big part of the team as he practices every day and has had a great effect on youngsters like Tyler Bertuzzi among others. "He taught me a lot of things, what to expect and what to not expect," Bertuzzi said last training camp, talking about Cleary’s veteran influence. "He was almost like a father figure." At least you now know what Daniel Cleary has done all season. May 14 - 7:15 AM

Daniel Cleary has inked a one-year deal with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Griffins are affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings. It might sound surprising that a 37-year-old with 938 games worth of NHL experience under his belt has agreed to an AHL-only contract, but it is consistent with what Cleary had discussed over the summer. Cleary spent time with the Griffins last season and enjoyed being a mentor to young players. In a way, Cleary might end up being a mixture between a player and a development coach with the Grand Rapids and we imagine that the Red Wings are happy to have someone with his level of experience around to guide their prospects. Fri, Sep 23, 2016 12:13:00 PM

Player News

Eleven seasons after making his debut with the Detroit Red Wings as an undrafted forward, Dan Cleary has helped mold the Red Wings prospects.

Cleary is listed on the Grand Rapids Griffins roster but hasn't played in a game in over a year. He practices with the team and is considering as somewhat of a player-coach hybrid. He has been very instrumental in the Griffins Calder Cup run and has helped players such as Evgeny Svechnikov, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dominic Turgeon grow their game. "I’ve really enjoyed this season. Just seeing the development with the guys and being able to help" said Cleary. "this has been really fulfilling for me. I’m happy to be here, happy to be around the guys." After a very successful career with the Red Wings, Cleary appears to have a future in coaching.

Daniel Cleary has not played in one game for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.

Raise your hand if you thought he was retired. Okay, you can put it down now. While the 38-year-old has not played, he has been a big part of the team as he practices every day and has had a great effect on youngsters like Tyler Bertuzzi among others. "He taught me a lot of things, what to expect and what to not expect," Bertuzzi said last training camp, talking about Cleary’s veteran influence. "He was almost like a father figure." At least you now know what Daniel Cleary has done all season.

Daniel Cleary has inked a one-year deal with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Griffins are affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings. It might sound surprising that a 37-year-old with 938 games worth of NHL experience under his belt has agreed to an AHL-only contract, but it is consistent with what Cleary had discussed over the summer. Cleary spent time with the Griffins last season and enjoyed being a mentor to young players. In a way, Cleary might end up being a mixture between a player and a development coach with the Grand Rapids and we imagine that the Red Wings are happy to have someone with his level of experience around to guide their prospects.

Daniel Cleary has signed a professional tryout with the Detroit Red Wings.

Unfortunately, this appears little more than the organization giving the 37-year-old a shot at surprising the coaches and perhaps landing a spot in the minors. Cleary has spent the last 10 seasons with Detroit, but played 35 games for AHL Grand Rapids last season. He also has both an injury history and has failed to cross the double-digit goal threshold since notching 12 in 2011-12.

The Red Wings are talking to Daniel Cleary about playing for their AHL affiliate next season.

Cleary played 35 games with AHL Grand Rapids in 2015-16 and it appears as though Detroit liked having the veteran forward down there. The 37-year-old had some productive seasons in the NHL, but don't expect him to see much (if any) action with the big club if he decides to come back.

Daniel Cleary wants to play again next season, even if it's with an AHL team.

Cleary ended up playing in the minors last season and while that was difficult at times, the 37-year-old ended up having a good time. "I really enjoyed what I did last season, being in that role, helping the young kids grow into being future Red Wings," Cleary said. "I’m training to do that (playing). It took me a few days (after being sent down), but after I settled into it, I really enjoyed the experience in Grand Rapids. It’s a great coaching staff, great group of guys, great training staff. It was a lot of fun, and I still want to play. The thing is, though, is can this body hold up over the course of a season? But I feel I can help mentor young players, and show them what it takes to play in the NHL." Cleary has 938 games worth of NHL experience and another 121 contests worth of playoff experience under his belt. So if Cleary is willing to accept a minor league job under the idea that he'll help mentor the prospects, there should be some interest in him.

"We have future Red Wings there, good players, and I want to be a good pro and a mentor to them," Cleary said. He changed his mind about going to the minors after a meeting on Monday with GM Ken Holland and head coach Jeff Blashill.

It seems Cleary might opt to retire instead. He signed a one-way, $950,000 contract with Detroit, but he cleared waivers after failing to make the team's opening game roster. Cleary, 36, was used in just 17 games last season.

It's not clear what will happen next as the Red Wings aren't sure that Cleary will report to AHL Grand Rapids. He's inked to a one-way, $950,000 deal though, so he would be well compensated for playing in the minors.

He dressed in just 17 games with the Red Wings last season, but still received a one-year, $950,000 contract. Even with the new deal, it was speculated that Cleary could start the season in the minors.

Daniel Cleary said he didn't consider hanging up his skates during the off-season.

"No, no. God no," he said, when asked if he considered retiring in the offseason. "I love it. I love it. If you don’t have it, the burning desire, then, you know, you fade away. But, of course, everyone who plays as they get older loves it. They love the preparation, game day, the training. I love all of it. Listen, I definitely I feel like I have given my entire body to this game, so I feel proud of that, that’s for sure. I don’t look back with any regret. I mean, you want to play as long as you can. It’s the best game." Cleary may want to continue playing but his offensive production has been almost non-existent in the last few seasons. It's a nice story but he won't hold any fantasy value in 2015-16. It will be hard for him to crack Detroit's lineup this season. Cleary signed a one way contract which means he'll probably stick with Wings, but expect him to be a healthy scratch more often than not.

Daniel Cleary will suit up for the Red Wings' exhibition game against Boston Saturday night.

The veteran had missed time due to a leg injury but seems healthy enough to play. Cleary is fighting for a roster spot, and if he succeeds in grabbing one he will spend his season on Detroit's fourth line. That makes him worthless from a fantasy perspective.

Daniel Cleary (leg) skated on Tuesday for the first time at training camp.

"I just talked to him real quick on the ice but he said he felt pretty good," coach Jeff Blashill said. Cleary is trying to earn a bottom-six job with the Red Wings and he doesn't have any fantasy value.

Depth Charts

Zetterberg's tally gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at the 18:27 mark of the first period. It was his first goal since Oct. 18 (22 games). The Red Wings captain now has five goals and 17 points in 30 games this season. Zetterberg appears to be drop-able in most standard fantasy leagues.

Dylan Larkin earned an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss to Colorado on Sunday.

Larkin already has more helpers (16) after 21 games than he had in 80 matches last season when he picked up a total of 15. He leads the Red Wings in scoring with 20 points this campaign. Larkin also has two goals and three assists during a three-game point streak. He should easily establish new highs in helpers and points in 2017-18 if he continues at his current pace.

Frans Nielsen scored the only goal for Detroit in a 6-1 loss to St. Louis on Saturday afternoon.

Nielsen's eighth marker of the season came in the third period after the Blues had a 4-0 lead. He has generated 12 points in 29 games this year. Luke Glendening and Jonathan Ericsson had the assists on the Red Wings' lone goal.

Luke Glendening scored the Detroit Red Wings' lone goal in a 10-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Glendening's goal came much too late for the Detroit Red Wings to make a comeback in their blowout loss. It was his sixth of the season. The center now has six goals and seven points in 27 games this season.

Anthony Mantha scored a goal and an assist in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Mantha's first-period goal tied the game at one. He also picked up an assist on Frans Nielsen's power play tally late in the third frame. Mantha finished the game with a minus-1 rating and four shots on goal in 19:41 of ice time. The Red Wings forward now has 12 goals and 22 points in 26 games.

Gustav Nyquist scored two goals and an assist in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

That's one way for the Red Wings to put their seven-game losing streak to bed. Nyquist picked up the primary assist on Justin Abdelkader's first-period goal before adding one of his own four minutes later. He then gave his team a 3-1 lead early in the third period. Nyquist has eight goals and 15 points in 28 games this season. The Red Wings forward hadn't scored in eight games coming into Tuesday's action.

Witkowski has finished serving his 10-game suspension after he came back on the ice to get involved in a line brawl with the Calgary Flames back on Nov. 15. He doesn't have a point in eight outings this season.

Only the Buffalo Sabres defensemen have scored less often. Wings blue liner Mike Green has scored two of those five contests. "It's important to us, probably like every team, that our D are active in the rush; it's something we work on every day in practice," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "You have to have four, really five, now in the attack to have a good chance to score. I think we can do a better job on those line rushes potentially delaying and hitting some of the late guys, being the D."

Danny DeKeyser has struggled since he returned to the lineup from an ankle injury.

In 10 games, DeKeyser has no points and a minus-11 rating. "I think it's been taking me a little bit to get going to where I want to be," he said. "I felt good (in Monday's 2-1 overtime loss to Florida), I thought my legs were better, I was moving a bit better on the ice, felt stronger. At the same time, I was out six weeks, so it's going to take a little bit to come back from that." DeKeyser believes his game will turn around soon though because he is feeling better.

Kronwall got his first goal of the year Sunday against Colorado and he scored again Wednesday night versus Edmonton. The veteran defender registered only two goals and 13 points in 57 appearances last year. Kronwall has five points in 19 games, but he isn't worth rostering in the majority of fantasy leagues at this time.

Nick Jensen picked up three assists in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He registered the primary assists on Henrik Zetterberg's first-period goal and Jonathan Ericsson's tally in the second frame. He also helped set up Tomas Tatar's goal in the second period. Jensen finished the game with a plus-2 rating and two hits in 18:05 of ice time. The 27-year-old now has four assists in seven contests this season. He isn't worthy of a pickup in any fantasy league at this time, though.

Petr Mrazek was pulled after allowing five goals on 25 shots in a 10-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Mrazek and Jimmy Howard both allowed five goals in the loss, but Mrazek will get credit for the loss against Montreal. Mrazek's record falls to 2-4-1 with a 3.36 goals-against-average and an .891 save percentage.